iCostume
by anquhluh
Summary: Everyone's dressing up for Halloween, but what makes this year different?
1. Chapter 1

The end of October was looming. To the iCarly gang, this meant one thing: Halloween. It was one of Carly's favorite holidays and therefore, something Freddie didn't mind too much. Sam wasn't really into Halloween, and very rarely dressed up. After losing a bet to Carly, however, she had no choice but to dress up this year.

Dressing up was exactly what was on Carly's mind this particular year. After school one day, while Freddie was in AV club, her and Sam strolled around Seattle discussing it and taking in the brisk air.

They walked past a costume shop. Sam grabbed Carly's hand and walked in.

"My mission," she said as she bit off a piece of beef jerky, which appeared out of nowhere, "is to find something that makes Mama look scary, but kind of hot," she paused as she looked through a rack. "What're you thinking of being Carls?"

"Oh, I don't know. What do you think I should be?"

"How about Raggedy Ann? That'd be really cute," she said, smiling at Carly.

"No, absolutely not," she sighed.

"What's wrong with Raggedy Ann?"

Carly sighed again, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Nothing, just forget it."

Sam pulled out a gothic fairy costume. It was a short, dark red dress that faded to black at the bottom, which was adorned with skulls. It had a black belt sinching its middle, the buckle of which was a tiny skull. It also came with a matching black choker and black wings. "This is definitely it. If you're gonna make me dress up for Nubaween, I might as well make a few jaws drop doing it."

"You'll definitely do that," Carly said, admiring the costume as Sam held it up to her body.

"It's kind of expensive, but that's why I stole Gibby's wallet," she smirked, approaching the register. She paused before reaching it, looking at a wall ahead of them.

"Look Carls, it's Raggedy Ann. I'm telling you, try it on. You'd look adorable."

"Sam, I don't _want_ to be Raggedy Ann, okay. Just hurry up and pay so we can go already," she snapped.

"Uh, alright Sass-a-lot," she said, clearly a bit peeved at Carly's reaction. She paid for the costume and walked silently with Carly to Bushwell.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong now?" Sam asked as they waited for the elevator in the lobby.

"You wouldn't understand," she said.

"Try me, kid," she responded.

Just as Carly opened her mouth, the elevator doors opened to reveal Freddie in it. The two stepped in next to him, exchanging hellos, which in Sam's case meant flicking him in the forehead.

"Freddie, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he smiled at her.

"What do you think I should be for Halloween?"

"Hmm…I don't know," he said, clearly pensive. "That bug you did a few years back was really cute. What about Jessie from Toy Story, or Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas? They're pretty cool costumes, and they look comfy."

Sam spoke before Carly had the chance to. "The nub has some good ideas. What're you dressing up as, Nug-Nug?"

"_No I am not dressing up as Nug-Nug,_" he mocked. "I'm actually thinking of being…nevermind, you'll see it at the dance."

"Crap, I forgot all about the dance part," Sam complained. "I should ask Gibby what he's gonna be."

"You're going with _Gibby_?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah. Him and Tasha are going through a rough patch so I'm doing him a favor."

"There's some kind of meat in it for you, isn't there?"

"A new subscription to the Bacon's of the World Club," she smiled widely.

They got out of the elevator and Freddie went to his apartment. Sam followed Carly, who was angrily mumbling to herself as she walked up the stairs and into her room. She flopped down on her bed, screaming into her pillow.

"Carls…Carls!...CARLY!" Sam said, desperately trying to get Carly's attention. She finally walked over to her bed and flipped Carly over before retreating to the window seat.

"Now that you had that little episode, can you tell me what's going on?"

"Halloween, Sam. Halloween's going on."

"You don't know what you want to be?" she asked confusedly.

"No, but I know what I don't want to be, and that's what everybody's telling me to be."

"Look Carls, if I knew Raggedy Ann was such a sore spot—"

"No, it's not Raggedy Ann! It's cute," she sighed, staring at her ceiling.

"Cute?"

"Yes, cute. Don't you see Sam? Everyone thinks I'm so cute. I've been 'cute' for the last 17 Halloweens, for the last 16 years of my life."

"How do you live for 16 years and celebrate 17 Halloweens?"

"I was a few months old on my first Halloween, so—never mind that Sam, focus. I'm so sick and tired of being cute. I want to make jaws drop, I want him to think I'm hot!"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Sam said with a raised eyebrow. "There's a _him_ in the picture."

"No there isn't I just—"

"You're a terrible liar. Who is he?"

"Sam, it's nobody, really…" she said, her voice becoming small.

"It wouldn't happen to be some silly little, Nug-Nug loving, technical producer, would it?"

Carly's face turned bright red. Sam smiled knowingly.

"Carly, Freddie thinks you're the most amazing thing on Earth."

"I know he likes me, but that's not it. Remember the way he looked at Tasha when he first saw her? It was like she walked out of the pages of a lingerie catalog and into Ridgeway to drop Gibby off. I want him to look at me like that."

Sam sighed. "Carls, if you like him, just tell him. There's no need to put yourself through this. It's not you."

"Sam, no offense, but I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm asking for you help."

Sam buried her head in her hands and took a deep breathe. She looked at Carly and nodded. "Alright, come on, let's go. We've got an hour and a half before the costume shop closes.


	2. Chapter 2

The night of the Halloween Dance came. With Sam and Gibby going together as friends, Carly had asked Freddie to do the same. Sam and Gibby were waiting on Carly's couch for her to get ready and for Freddie to come over. Sam completed her fairy look with dark red lipstick and black, knee high, high heeled boots. When Gibby saw her, he tried to keep his focus on her face. While they waited though, she couldn't help but notice Gibby was looking at her legs and even at her chest. She even smiled when she noticed Spencer do a double take.

After a few awkward minutes, Freddie walked in. "Hey guys," he smiled. Sam rolled her eyes at him.

"Superman? This was your big surprise costume? You're a super nub, why do I let myself be seen with you in public?"

Freddie took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and opened them back up, smiling at Sam. "Thanks, your costume is awesome too. But this gentleman right here definitely has the best costume, hands down," he said, inspecting Gibby dressed as a human Peppy Cola vending machine.

Gibby smiled and high fived back, just as they heard something. They turned around to see Carly come down the stairs. If the reaction to Sam was noticeable the reaction to Carly was undeniable. Sam looked astonished, and a bit proud as Carly came down the stairs dressed as Snow White. Gibby couldn't take his eyes off her legs, elongated by white knee high socks and black heels.

The first thing Freddie noticed was the bright red bow emerging from her dark locks. Next, the matching red lipstick defining her beautifully full lips. It was after her got over these two things that he noticed how revealing Carly's costume was.

If you looked at her, you'd think the dress was glued to her body. The blue bodice complemented her curves. Another red bow was attached to the middle of her chest, bringing attention to it's recent development. It was clear at that moment she didn't need a helping bra's help. The skirt of the dress was gold, with layers of red tulle underneath. It barely hit the middle of her thigh.

No one said anything, although Carly was beaming from the attention. This was, of course, until Spencer entered the room. His jaw dropped, and a look of anger engulfed his face. "Carly, can I see you in the kitchen?"

She pranced in, a noticeable bounce in her step. She vaguely recognized the look on Spencer's face as one that did not belong to him, but to her father.

"Carly, what's with this little get up?"

"Snow White has always been my favorite princess, Spence, you know that."

"What I don't know," he said, looking at her sternly, "is where the rest of the costume is. Carly, you are not allowed to leave the house looking like this. You're just a little girl."

"When will you get that I'm _not_ a little girl, Spencer? I'm sixteen and I'm going to wear what I want," she snipped, leaving Spencer speechless.

Carly walked out of the kitchen and, grabbing her purse, walked straight to the front door, swinging it open. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."

Gibby, Sam, and Freddie didn't know what to say. They looked back at Spencer, who looked enraged, and looked at Carly, shuffling out awkwardly behind her.

Once they arrived at the dance, they noticed everyone was paying attention to Carly. She was doing more than just making jaws drop as she wiggled around on the dance floor, giving a view that the guys couldn't get enough of.

Many guys came up to her, asking her to dance and flirting shamelessly. While they did so, Freddie stood on the sidelines, watching with his head hanging low. Although Sam was dancing with Gibby, every once in a while she came over to make sure he was okay. She couldn't help but feel bad for the nub. Even though she knew Carly liked him, the attention from all these other guys was making her head so big, she was surprised she was able to make it into the Ridgeway Gym.

The night went on this way, with guys mobbing Carly, Freddie hanging around whoever didn't mind, and Sam feeling bad for him. Finally, Sam had enough of it. She pushed her way through the crowd of guys to Carly in the center. She grabbed her by the arm, her grip around her unnecessarily tight, and pulled her out and over to the side of the room.

"Ow, Sam, what are you doing?" she asked, rubbing the spot on her arm Sam had just let go of.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing," Sam said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She turned around, looking across the gym and spotting Freddie, who was standing near a punch bowl, staring down at his feet.

"You haven't even spoken to him all night, that's what I mean."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Are you serious? Sam, I've been busy. I mean, come on. Do you see what this costume is doing for me?"

"Making you look easy? Carls, I was all for you getting this costume and feeling sexy and getting Freddie's attention. The second you put it on and realized how good you look, you got all diva and I want nothing to do with that. The way you talked to Spence before, the way you've been ignoring Freddie? I don't care if it's Halloween. You're acting stupid and it's not you."

Carly looked down to the floor. Sam had never really done something like that before. Not only was she sticking up for Freddie, but she was reprimanding her. It made her feel low. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything to me, Carls. You need to say something to him."

She nodded, walking across the room. It was the first time she'd noticed Freddie all night. He looked great as Superman. It fit him perfectly, very cukey.

He picked his head up as Carly approached, trying to rearrange his face to look less miserable.

"I'm a terrible date," she stated apologetically.

"It's cool. We just came as friends anyway," he said sullenly.

"Right, as friends," she said, her voice fading. Just then, a slow song came on.

"I guess you wouldn't want to dance then," she asked, a glint of hope in her eye.

Freddie smiled at her. "That's an offer I'd never turn down."

Freddie took her hand as they got on the dance floor. He turned to face Carly, who wrapped her arms around his neck. As she settled into his chest and they moved together, she remembered the girl's choice dance. She smiled to herself.

As they danced, Freddie started a conversation. "So, I guess you picked the right costume, huh?" He realized how what he said sounded, and quickly added "You look amazing."

"Thanks," she smiled, looking up at him. "I love your costume. Superman works for you. Aren't you hot though?"

His eyebrow curled in confusion. She went on to explain. "Well, all these costumes have those foam padded muscles and I figured they'd bother you after a while."

She lowered her arm to trace the bulging arm muscle. She poked it, expecting foam, but was startled when she felt solid muscle. Her head jerked up to look at Freddie again. "Oh my real," she gasped.

He chuckled, smiling. "Don't give me all that much credit. The arms are real, but the abs aren't. I'd probably have more time to spend at the gym if I didn't have a super important job as a technical producer on this cute girl's web show."

She giggled, looking up at him. "I'm not cute."

"Look at you, you're absolutely beautiful."

"You're just saying that because of the costume," she said.

Freddie winced at the comment, because it did hurt. "Carly, I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world 365 days a year. I'm not telling you that because you happen to be so close to me wearing less then you do the other 364 days. I think you look like a princess everyday, you don't need a costume for me to see that."

She smiled, realizing he was right. Then she scooted a little closer, tilting her head up and bringing her lips to Freddie's. "You didn't need a costume for me to know you were Superman," she said, crashing her lips back into his.


End file.
